What happened at Loaves & Fishes?

Friday

Aug 30, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 30, 2013 at 2:45 PM

What happened?

It seems like such a simple question. Two words, one idea . . .

What happened?

It’s a question that’s tripped up the famous, the infamous, the powerful and the meek. Throughout recorded history, the rich man, the poor man, the beggarman and the thief all have stumbled over those two words. It derailed the Nixon Administration. It befuddled the academics at Penn State.

And still too few understand the importance of being able to adequately address those sticky situations when people begin to ask, “What happened?”

This is the glare that is now blinding leaders of one of Alamance County’s most prominent nonprofit organizations. From the moment Brenda Allen, director of the Loaves & Fishes Christian Food Ministry, issued a statement by email to the United Way and Community Council on Wednesday afternoon of the organization’s intention to close almost immediately with the curious phrasing that “our mission has been fulfilled” one question dwarfed all others.

What happened?

The silence from Allen and the ministry’s board of directors has not only been deafening but frustrating.

Because in this case, silence certainly isn’t golden. In fact, the vacuum of information about what occurred at Loaves & Fishes — where the hungry in Alamance County sought help by the hundreds for more than a decade — impacts every segment of our community, from the needy to the donors to the myriad nonprofit organizations now struggling to fill the void. More importantly, for the vast array of organizations that depend upon public generosity, the failure of one seemingly successful nonprofit for no apparent reason makes fund-raising more difficult amid a skeptical public.

And situations such as this one breed not only skeptics, but cynics as well.

Until Wednesday, when Allen issued the statement ostensibly for the organization’s board of directors, Loaves & Fishes appeared to operate as one of Alamance County’s best and most popular charitable operations. The number of events in our community in which admission includes a food donation to Loaves & Fishes can’t be calculated. It happens weekly at everything from the Parade of Homes to the annual Lanes of Light holiday show each Christmas season at Twin Lakes. Nearly every public school is involved with Loaves & Fishes in one way or another. It’s a magnet for volunteers and giving from Elon University’s students and staff.

According to documents filed with the state, last year Loaves & Fishes fed 7,000 people and raised more than $9 million in cash and in-kind food donations. In November, Allen was grand marshal of Burlington’s Christmas Parade.

Over the years few organizations generated more visible public goodwill than Loaves & Fishes.

But last week it ended in a thud with the announcement that the operation would close on Sept. 30 — a statement that in reality turned out to be misleading. The doors were locked at the Burlington office the next day, newspaper covered the windows and a sign stated the site to be closed. No volunteers were contacted. Neither were donors or the hungry, who walked to the building seeking entry without success.

So, what happened?

Members of the board of directors have refused to discuss the matter, referring questions to Allen. She isn’t responding, either. That silence has led to widespread speculation about what led the organization to so abruptly shut down — not surprising given stories that surfaced this summer about a tax matter Loaves & Fishes faced and reports of exorbitant salaries for Allen and her husband, who was also employed at the ministry.

The question of “what happened” at Loaves & Fishes is troublesome, primarily because of the collateral damage it does to other community nonprofits. In the public eye, when one organization has problems, others may as well. For this reason alone, leaders at Loaves & Fishes should address the questions immediately.

Thankfully, Alamance County’s nonprofit community is stepping up in major ways, with the United Way, Salvation Army and Allied Churches taking lead roles. It is our hope that the community will endorse and back these efforts with their hours and donations.

In an economy that continues to try our patience and pockets — and with government services on the wane —it’s never been more important to support those who help others.

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